Calculation Corner Bruce Guenin, Assoc. Technical Editor Introduction These days, many thermal engineers face the challenge of defining effective heat sink cooling solutions for high power processors and ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits). The usual practice would be to calculate a value of ΘJA (junction-to-air thermal resistance) for the … [Read more...]
Larger Errors with Smaller Stuff
Thermal Facts and Fairytales by Ross Wilcoxon Long time readers of Electronics Cooling will undoubtedly recall one of our former editors: Clemens Lasance. One of Clemens’ many contributions to the magazine was the creation of the original “Thermal Facts and Fairy Tales” column, which provided a forum for him to discuss a variety of issues related to the use and misuse of … [Read more...]
JEDEC Thermal Standards: Developing a Common Understanding
JEDEC Thermal Standards: Developing a Common Understanding The Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) was established to provide recognized technical standards for a wide range of applications, from how to handle electronic packages and defining package outline drawings, to the methods used to characterize performance, including thermal. The JC-15 committee … [Read more...]
Heat Spreader Efficiency Improvements by Addition of Latent Heat Solution Materials
Introduction Electronics thermal management has become an increasingly important design focus as devices have become more constrained, more powerful, more expensive and more ubiquitous. To manage temperatures, particularly in mobile devices, thermal engineers typically use higher thermal conductivity components and materials. Electrical engineers strive to spatially … [Read more...]
Summary of the IEEE ITherm 2019 Conference
Technical Brief John F. Maddox, Ph.D., P.E. The IEEE Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm) was held at the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV from May 28-31, 2019. This was the 31st Anniversary of ITherm, first held in 1988. The conference was historically held every other year until 2016 when it … [Read more...]
